Lessons from the Millennial Entrepreneur Behind My House Social

I’m a confident, passionate, 27-year-old CEO with a growing, all-female team. I was honored to be chosen as a Connect 40 Under 40 and cannot wait to network and meet everyone in New Orleans in August for Connect. My company, My House Social, is revolutionizing the corporate event industry’s stale food landscape with unique culinary customization. We partner with innovative chefs and food trucks to bring a diverse mix of fare to corporate events and beyond. Here’s our story.

The Beginning

I started waitressing at an upscale restaurant in New Orleans after moving here after attending college in Michigan. I began hosting pop-up dinner events at my house featuring up-and-coming chefs and the innovative dishes they weren’t able to create at their restaurant jobs. Bringing people together over a great meal is my biggest passion. Word spread and I was soon unable to keep up with the demand. The obvious had finally set in: I am and always was meant to be an entrepreneur.

Evolution

My House Social had reached a turning point where it was ready to grow into something bigger. I’d recently gotten back from my first trip to Portland, Oregon, where I was inspired by the food truck movement that was just starting to hit New Orleans. I began organizing food truck festivals in addition to the pop-ups. (Fun fact: Millennials are the food truck generation; 47 percent of them say they’ve eaten from a food truck.) My shift mirrored a generational shift. Food truck courts, food halls and markets continue to open and the trend is not going away.